


Cuddler

by AnExhaustedArmadillo



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I just want Han to be happy, Millennium Falcon - Freeform, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 05:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnExhaustedArmadillo/pseuds/AnExhaustedArmadillo
Summary: It had been a few weeks after they'd won theFalconfrom Lando when Chewie first tried to groom Han.





	Cuddler

**Author's Note:**

> Purely platonic. I just want Han to get the comfort he deserves and Chewie and Han's friendship is just so sweet.

Han had never been one to really rely on others. Sure, he'd shared some childish hopes and dreams with Qi'ra, but, with who she had become, that bridge was obliterated. Han had grown up on mean streets, with mean people, and he had adapted accordingly. Han liked to think of himself as tough, if not terribly aggressive, then scrappy enough to hold his own. Han was self-reliant, and he was certainly prickly enough to push people away. He had a quick mouth and a quicker draw. Han had a strong survival instinct and did what he had to to survive. Han _didn't_ cuddle. 

Chewbacca was _awesome_. The Wookiee was handy, a good pilot, sarcastic, he put up with all of Han's antics. But...As Han soon found out, he was... _touchy_. Chewbacca was a cuddler.

It had been a few weeks after they'd won the _Falcon_ from Lando when Chewie first tried to groom Han. Han had sat idly next to one of the few windows, drinking in the starry scenery. Chewie came up behind him, surprisingly silent for a creature his size. Han felt no need to acknowledge his presence, on a ship that size, just the two of them, it never really felt like Han _wasn't_ with Chewie. Before Han really knew what was going on, the Wookiee's paws were in his hair, combing through it gently.

"Uh, buddy, what're you doing?" Han eventually asked. Chewie gurgled a response, and yeah, it was sorta obvious what Chewie was doing, and no, Han wasn't dumb. But the unspoken question- the _why_ was Chewbacca grooming him- remained unanswered. Han didn't particularly feel like pushing it, he just hoped the Wookiee didn't expect him to reciprocate. Han wasn't quite sure how he felt about trying to handle all of Chewbacca's fur. 

Once Han relaxed some, he found himself actually enjoying it, to his own chagrin. Part of Han wanted to fight against it, not enjoy the grooming. But Chewie was _gentle_. _Soft_. And it was just so easy for Han to close his eyes and let the Wookiee pick through his hair, reshaping it.

The next day Han resolved not to talk about it. He figured it just had to be some weird Wookiee thing that wasn't really a big deal. Wookiees were probably more touchy in general. Han was being too weird about it, making it out to be more tender than it really was. It was just, Han couldn't quite remember the last time someone, a friend, had treated him so carefully. But he was being weird. 

Han's suspicions about Wookiee culture were reaffirmed when Han accidentally fell asleep at the wheel. It was a habit of Han's to sit and stare out the window, looking at the stars to try to convince himself that he'd made it out. Without Qi'ra, though, freedom sometimes felt like as much of a prison as Corellia. Despite such sad thoughts in his mind, exhaustion did come for him, and Han passed out at the helm.

When he next came to, it was in the arms of a Wookiee. Han sometimes forgot really how big Chewbacca was. But, essentially swaddled in his arms, Han was suddenly well aware of just how tall his first mate was. 

"No, Chewie, you don't need t' carry me. I 'as just resting m' eyes." Han protested through a yawn. Chewie dismissed him sarcastically, and Han really was in no position to argue. Chewbacca carefully lay Han down on his bed, tucking him in as if Han were a child. Han had to admit, it felt good to be in his own bed, especially with Chewie's paws in his hair, stroking behind his ear.

Han was still not a cuddler, though.

After that, Han _acclimated_. Chewie would hug him, and Han would just sink into it, fingers webbed in Chewie's fur. If they were working on a colder planet, or stationed near a colder system, Han was not against cuddling up to Chewie for some extra warmth. 

Han actually slept with Chewie, once, at the Wookiee's behest. Chewbacca insisted, and not quite wanting to fight someone almost twice his size, Han complied, and spent the night with his head buried in the fur of Chewbacca's chest. That night was one that Han would stoutly deny if asked about it. 

The grooming was eventually reciprocated, though Chewbacca certainly had some strong opinions about Han's technique. Han felt proud, though, to be able to do something for his friend. Han knew he could lean on Chewie, both literally, and emotionally, and he wanted Chewie to feel the same.

As for Chewbacca, it was true. Wookiee culture was definitely more physical. And Han was family. Han was lonely. And disappointed after Qi'ra abandoned him. But Chewbacca knew what he could do to help. Everyone, even street smugglers from Corellia, could be comforted by some good old Wookiee love. 

There were times when Han, overcome with grief for the girl he once knew, would simply sob into Chewbacca's fur, shaking. There were times when Han wasn't sad, but sighed into Chewbacca's arms anyway. If the human seemed to relish Chewbacca's warmth, that was not up to him to judge. After all, Chewbacca always figured Han would be a cuddler.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> (I love comments, if you're feeling generous)
> 
> Inspired by, and in a similar vein of Wwrascahanro by user squilf, which everyone should read.


End file.
